These are the words that Moshe addressed to all of Yisroel across the Yardein; [as he had] [reproved them for they had sinned] in the wilderness—[and provoked (Hashem) to anger] on the Arava plain facing [the Sea of] Suf; [and as he had] between Poron [where they scorned the mon] and Tofel and Lovon [where they provoked to anger regarding meat] and Chatzeiros and Di Zohov [because they made the Golden Calf].

[A journey of] eleven days [traveling time] from Choreiv by the Mount Seir road, to Kadeish Barnei’a [Rekam Geyah].

[Beginning] in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, Moshe addressed Bnei Yisroel with every detail that Adonoy had commanded him [to say] to them.

After he had smitten Sichon, King of the Emorites, who was living in Cheshbon; and Og, King of the Boshon [Masnan], who was living in Ashtoros, in Edrei.

Across the Yardein in the land of Moav, Moshe began to elucidate [the teachings of] this Torah as follows:

Adonoy, our God, addressed us at Choreiv, saying, ‘‘Enough of your living at this mountain!

Turn and travel for yourselves and arrive at the Emorite hill [region] and at all its neighbors [habitable places]—on the plain, on the mountain, and in the lowland, and in the Negev, and on the seacoast; the land of the Canaanites and the Lebanon, up to the great river, the Euphrates River.

See, I have set the land before you; come and inherit the land that Adonoy swore to your forefathers, to Avrohom, to Yitzchok, and to Yaakov, to give them and their descendants after them.’’

I said to you at that time saying, ‘‘I cannot carry [bear] you by myself.

Adonoy, your God, has multiplied you, and you are today as numerous the stars in the sky.

Adonoy, God of your forefathers, will add to you one thousandfold, and will bless you as He spoke about you.

How can I carry [bear] alone your troublesomeness, your burdensomeness [business], and your contentiousness [judgments]?

Provide yourselves men, wise and understanding and renowned to your tribes, and I will designate them your leaders [appoint them to be chiefs over you].’’

You replied to me and said, ‘‘[It is a] good thing [right] that you said to do.’’

I took the leaders of your tribes, men wise and renowned, and designated [appointed] them leaders over you: masters of thousands and masters of hundreds, and masters of fifties and masters of tens, and court officers for your tribes.

I commanded your judges at that time, to say, ‘‘Listen between your brothers and you are to judge right between a man and his brother and between his complainant.

Do not show favor in judgement; [words] small and great alike will you hear out; do not fear any man; for justice belongs to God. And the matter that will be too difficult for you, present to me and I will hear it.’’

I commanded you at that time all the things that you are to do.

We traveled from Choreiv and walked the entire great wilderness, that awesome one that you saw, in the direction of the Emorite hill [region] as Adonoy, our God, commanded us; and we arrived at Kadeish Barnei’a [Rekam Geyah].

I said to you, ‘‘You have arrived at the Emorite hill [region] that Adonoy, our God, is giving us.

See! Adonoy, our God, has set the land before you. Go up, inherit [it] as promised by Adonoy, the God of your forefathers, about you; do not fear and do not tremble.’’

You approached me, all of you, and said, ‘‘Let us send men ahead of us to spy out the land for us, and let them bring back word to us: the route we are to go up on and the cities we will be coming to.’’

The idea pleased me, so I took from you twelve men, one man per tribe.

They turned and went uphill and arrived at Wadi Eshkol, and they spied it out.

They took in their hand some fruit of the land and brought [it] down to us. They brought back word to us and said, ‘‘Good is the land that Adonoy, our God, is giving us.’’

But you were unwilling to go up, and you defied [were rebellious against the word of] Adonoy, your God.

You grumbled in your tents and said, ‘‘Because of Adonoy’s hatred of us, He took us out of the land of Egypt to put us in the hand of the Emorite to destroy us.

Where are we going up to? Our brothers have shattered our hopes [broken our hearts] by saying, ‘A people greater and more powerful than we, cities great and fortified sky-high, and also descendants of the Anakim [giants]—did we see there.’’’

I said to you, ‘‘Do not crumble [be broken (hearted)] and do not fear them.

Adonoy, your God, who goes before you [leads you], He will wage war for you, as in everything that He did with you in Egypt before your eyes;

and in the wilderness, as you have seen, (where) Adonoy, your God, carried you the way a man carries his son all along the road you went until you arrived at this place.

Yet in this matter, you do not trust [the word of] Adonoy, your God,

Who has been going ahead of you [leading you] on the road to seek [prepare] for you a place to encamp; with the [pillar of] fire at night to show you the way for you to go on, and with the [pillar of] cloud by day.

[Before] Adonoy [was] heard the intent of your words and angrily swore, to say:

‘‘That [no] man will see—of these men, this wicked generation—the good land that I swore to give to your forefathers.

Except for Koleiv ben Yefuneh, who will see it, and to whom I will give the land that he trod upon and to his sons, because he perfected himself [was complete] in fear of Adonoy.’’

Also at [against] me was Adonoy angry because of you, to say, ‘‘You, too, will not arrive there.

Yehoshua son of Nun, who attends you, he will arrive there. Encourage him, for he will apportion it to Yisroel.

As to your infants, about whom you said, ‘They will become spoils,’ and your children who cannot distinguish today good from evil, they will arrive there; and to them will I give it and they will inherit it.

As for you, turn yourselves [around], and travel into the wilderness by the Yam Suf road.’’

You replied and said to me, ‘‘We have sinned to [before] Adonoy. We will go up and wage war in [fulfillment of] all that Adonoy, our God commanded us.’’ And each of you girded his weapons [of war], and you got ready [began] to go up the mountain.

Adonoy said to me, ‘‘Say to them, ‘Do not go up and do not wage war, for I am not [My Shechinah does not dwell] in your midst; so that you will not be shattered by your enemies.’’’

I told you, but you did not obey. You defied [the decree of the word of] Adonoy, and deliberately went up the hill.

The Emorites came out—those who live in those hills—toward you, and chased you as the bees do [are dispersed]; and they crushed you in Se’ir till Chorma.

You returned and wept before Adonoy, but Adonoy did not accept your prayer; He paid no attention to you [did not hearken to your words].

You lived in Kodeish [Rekam] many years, like the years you lived [elsewhere].